Football

For the German press, Bierhoff’s statement was an unexpected, even unwelcome attack of realism. The second most powerful man in the national team setup had effectively written the Germans off more than a year before the tournament’s opening.

The nine state nordeste region, home to around 53 million people, is the wrong side of Brazil`s footballing tracks, a world away from the wealth and glamour of the big Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo club.